Title: Ok, I'll introduce myself...
Post by: Alenthony on June 22, 2009, 04:04:13 AM
Post by: Alenthony on June 22, 2009, 04:04:13 AM
Here's an abbreviated version of my background...
I had the ill luck to be born to a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, and I literally almost died as an infant because of the blood transfusion issue (my mother, now a non-JW, told about this when I was in my 30s). Being the second child of an Rh+ father and an Rh- mother made me a candidate for something called Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn. It is a well-understood condition in which the mother's blood is mixed during birth with the child's and introduces antibodies that attack his red blood cells. It can be fatal unless treated with a blood transfusion. JWs categorically oppose transfusions, and my father threatened to remove me from the hospital until the State of NY stepped in with a court order. Nice, huh?
I also had a very unpleasant childhood of Kingdom Hall (that is JW-speak for church) three times a week, door-to-door every Saturday AM, restrictions on friends, and the pariah status of an oddball at school because I could not say The Pledge, or celebrate holidays, etc.
My folks divorced when I was twelve or so and that put an end to going to that damned Hall. It was then when I fell in love with Astronomy. I joined a local club and learned the joy of hanging out with adults that actually KNEW something and loved studying nature.
But in a few years I became a typical teen, and my interests turned to drugs, music, and other things. I dropped out of high school and played in a garage band and worked as a short-order cook. That was enough to convince me, at 18, that I needed to get back to my love for science, so sans high-school diploma, I snuck into the University of Utah, and ten years later, had my Ph.D. in physics. Along the way, I came across Ayn Rand, and while I disagree with much of her philosophy, she steered me sharply away from religious thinking, for which I thank her. Pretty much in my early 20s I was aware that I didn't believe in any superstitious hooey, and the older I get the more I see I made the right choice.
When I met my future wife, in grad school, she was studying biology. I asked her what she was reading at the time "The Bible" she said. My heart sunk. She went on, "Yes, I was told all these years that this book has all the answers, so I am finally reading it, and you know what? Jesus was an asshole!"
So I married her.
I had the ill luck to be born to a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, and I literally almost died as an infant because of the blood transfusion issue (my mother, now a non-JW, told about this when I was in my 30s). Being the second child of an Rh+ father and an Rh- mother made me a candidate for something called Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn. It is a well-understood condition in which the mother's blood is mixed during birth with the child's and introduces antibodies that attack his red blood cells. It can be fatal unless treated with a blood transfusion. JWs categorically oppose transfusions, and my father threatened to remove me from the hospital until the State of NY stepped in with a court order. Nice, huh?
I also had a very unpleasant childhood of Kingdom Hall (that is JW-speak for church) three times a week, door-to-door every Saturday AM, restrictions on friends, and the pariah status of an oddball at school because I could not say The Pledge, or celebrate holidays, etc.
My folks divorced when I was twelve or so and that put an end to going to that damned Hall. It was then when I fell in love with Astronomy. I joined a local club and learned the joy of hanging out with adults that actually KNEW something and loved studying nature.
But in a few years I became a typical teen, and my interests turned to drugs, music, and other things. I dropped out of high school and played in a garage band and worked as a short-order cook. That was enough to convince me, at 18, that I needed to get back to my love for science, so sans high-school diploma, I snuck into the University of Utah, and ten years later, had my Ph.D. in physics. Along the way, I came across Ayn Rand, and while I disagree with much of her philosophy, she steered me sharply away from religious thinking, for which I thank her. Pretty much in my early 20s I was aware that I didn't believe in any superstitious hooey, and the older I get the more I see I made the right choice.
When I met my future wife, in grad school, she was studying biology. I asked her what she was reading at the time "The Bible" she said. My heart sunk. She went on, "Yes, I was told all these years that this book has all the answers, so I am finally reading it, and you know what? Jesus was an asshole!"
So I married her.
Title: Re: Ok, I'll introduce myself...
Post by: PipeBox on June 22, 2009, 04:34:25 AM
Post by: PipeBox on June 22, 2009, 04:34:25 AM
Excellent introduction, welcome. Hate seeing that the JW almost accidentally killed you, but glad you got out and learned a little about yourself and the world, and that you're now here to tell us about it. Your personality and knowledge will be added to our own.
Title: Re: Ok, I'll introduce myself...
Post by: McQ on June 22, 2009, 04:37:09 AM
Post by: McQ on June 22, 2009, 04:37:09 AM
Welcome to the forum, and thank you for the introduction. What a background, man! I hope you've already started writing you autobiography, because it would be something else to read. Glad to have you here!
Title: Re: Ok, I'll introduce myself...
Post by: Chimera on June 22, 2009, 07:18:33 AM
Post by: Chimera on June 22, 2009, 07:18:33 AM
Great intro! Welcome to the forum. Your wife sounds like a trip. 
Title: Re: Ok, I'll introduce myself...
Post by: MommaSquid on June 25, 2009, 09:34:39 PM
Post by: MommaSquid on June 25, 2009, 09:34:39 PM
Quote from: "Chimera"Great intro! Welcome to the forum. Your wife sounds like a trip.
I second that. (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi89.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk227%2FMommaSquid%2Fsmileys%2Fwelcome.gif&hash=765e7fc0a94469a76498b1a83bb11fdab2e14833)
Title: Re: Ok, I'll introduce myself...
Post by: Heretical Rants on June 25, 2009, 11:01:09 PM
Post by: Heretical Rants on June 25, 2009, 11:01:09 PM
You sound interesting. Maybe I'll give you a chance, eh? 